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THE GRADUATING CLASS 






PENNSYLVANIA COLLEGE. 



GETTYSBURG, SEPTEMBER 16TH, 1855, 



BY H. L. BAUUHER. 



rublislied by the Class. 



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^ GETTYSBURG: 

PRINTED BY II. C. NEINSTEDT. 

18-55. 




GRADUATES FOR 1855. 



John Ilgen Burrell, 
Luther H. Croll, . 
Jeremiah Frazier, . 
Samuel A. Holman, . 
Eli Huber, , . . , 
John A. Kunkleman, 
William F. Paxton, 
Jacob Rinehart, . 
James W. Shuey, 

JOSIAH R. TiTZEL, 



Salojia, Pa. 
Middletoion, Pa- 
Frederick, Md. 
Harrisburg, Pa. 
Pinegrove, Pa. 
Loudon, Pa. 
Gettysburg, Pa. 
Uniontoion, Md. 
Staunton, Va. 
Vienna, Pa. 



Titus 2: 15 (last clause). — "Let no man despise thee." 

The feeling of contempt, in whatever degree it may be 
cherished, is never the result of misfortune or affliction, but of 
conduct. It is not the poor man who is despised, or the de- 
formed, or the bereaved, whether of friends, or possessions, or 
reason, these are pitied and relieved, but it is the mean in 
character, and the ignoble and the dishonorable in life. ¥/hen 
therefore the apostle addressed the language of the text to 
Titus, whom he had left in Crete for the purpose of setting in 
order the things which were wanting in the church, he referred 
especially to his conduct. He would say to him, "exhibit 
such a character, and conduct thyself in such a manner, in 
all the relations of life, that no one will have reason to despise 
thee." It is then manifest from this, that a christian young 
man, educated and introduced into the church by an inspired 
apostle, may be so far overcome by evil influences, and may 
so far forget his character and profession, as to do that which 
deserves to be despised. It will not, therefore, be an expres- 
sion of a vi'ant of confidence in you, my young friends, if I 
address to you the language of Paul to Titus, and say, "let no 
man despise you." You will soon engage in the stirring and 
active duties of life. Your bark you are about to launch on 
its troublous ocean, and you may need the counsels of the 
experienced, at the very beginning of the voyage. 

As the want of respect, or the contempt which we feel for 
any one, is the result of his character, or of his conduct as an 



expression of il, lei me urge you lo act towaids yourselves, 
your fellow-men, and your God, in such a manner as that no 
one will have reason to despise you, 

1. In respect to yourselves, there are certain duties, which, 
if faithfully discharged, no one can despise you. Among 
these I place studious habits and knowledge. These two are 
placed together, because they are intimately united in fact. 
Much knowledge will not be acquired without studious habits 
and, with them, a large and increasing fund of knowledge, for 
the daily uses of life, and the consolation of old age and ad- 
versity, is certain. It is presumed that the routine of a college 
life, with its regularly returning seasons for study, will have 
formed both the habit and an aptitude for study. If we have 
failed in this one important part of college training, much has 
been lost. But habits of study may be lost, after they have 
been formed, as well as acquired when they do not exist. 
They should therefore be kept up by constant exercise. The 
great advantage which an educated man possesses over him 
whose mind has not been disciplined, consists mainly in the 
formation of studious habits, and his knowledge of the use of 
books. By these he is enabled to accomplish, in a i^v^ weeks, 
a literary enterprize which (he uneducated could effect only 
after years of patient and laborious mental discipline. The 
student, therefore, owes it to himself, to perpetuate and invig- 
orate these habits, lo give them depth and compass, so that 
when an emergency occurs, they may be tasked to accomplish 
much work. This is readily secured by tasking, every day or 
every week. The mind, prone to indolence like the body, 
when necessity is not laid upon it, needs for its well-being that 
an artificial necessity be created, so that it may be developed 
in its proper proportions. Habits thus formed, in their proper 
use are constantly gaining sUenglh, so that the student; who 



shall have continued his studious habits, will have laid up foi 
old age, a degree of intellectual power, which will be (o him. 
a perpetual source of purest enjoyment. Such a man cannot 
be despised. One who desires to be distinguished above oth- 
ers, as intelligent, owes it to himself to increase in knowledge. 
You have learned how to acquire knowledge, and here and 
there an opening has been made into the vast field of know- 
ledge which lies before you. These will enable you to see 
something of the extent of the field, and the quality of the 
treasure to be seemed. I.t is the duly of educated men to cuL 
tivate this field. They owe it to themselves and to their coun- 
try, and to the world and to their God. These treasures were 
not placed there to be neglected or to be abused. - They con- 
stitute a part of the exhaustless beneficence of the great God, 
to be employed for his glory, and for the highest good of mart- 
kind. He who possesses the ability to draw out these treas-^ 
ures, and employ them in their legitimate use, and neglects, 
through indolence, or refuses from a worse motive, deserves to 
be despised. What ought we think of the physician who pro- 
fesses to cure diseases, whose attainments are endorsed by a 
medical faculty, and into whose hands, therefore, we confide 
our dying bodies to be treated, and yet knows but the first 
principles of his profession, who wastes his time in lounging 
about the public places of resort, or in the fashionable amuse- 
ments of the day ; who casts aside the e.^perience of the an- 
cients, and the accumulated and recorded wisdom of the mod- 
erns, and who relies only upon his own inflated ignorance to 
aid him in his profession ? What estimate are we to form of 
the counselor who professes to advise the ignorant, as to their 
rights under the laws of the land, whilst he himself is ignorant 
of them ; who, instead of promoting the peace of the com- 
munity, himself destro3's that peace, and stoops to live upon 



the contentions of his fellow-men? What shall we say of the 
preacher, or divine, who professes to teach the way of salva- 
tion, upon which he himself has never walked, and to ex- 
pound the word of God which he does not understand, eTnd to 
solve and relieve cases of conscience, when he is ignorant of 
his own heart, and of the laws and operations of the mind? 
What shall we say of him, who is fired by an ardent zeal to 
do good, who professes that it is above all things the desire of 
his heart to do good, but refuses to endure the labor and anxi- 
ety necessary to enable him to gratify his. desire, who takes 
counsel, not of the experienced and learned, but of his own 
heart, and, throwing books, and study, and learning aside, 
stands up before the people to preach? These and various 
other forms of quackery, in the different professions and avo- 
cations of life, exemplify the want of knowledge connected 
with much pretension. Such men we cannot respect. They 
are much below the honest mechanic, who learns his trade 
thoroughly, and presents for your necessities or comfort, a per- 
fect piece of workmanship. 

You owe it then to yourselves, my young friends, to be 
thorough in the.profession to which you devote yourselves : to 
bring forth, from day to day, the wisdom of the great men 
who have passed away; to employ all the knowledge which 
is now-current among men, touching the sphere in which you 
move, and to elaborate and bring forth that which is new and 
instructive, as a contribution to swell the general stock of 
knowledge in the world. 

2. You owe it to yourselves to cultivate kind feelings and 
gentlemanly deportment towards all men. The boorish, the 
rude and harsh in feeling and manner, and not (he kind and 
gentlemanly, are despised. The cullivalion of kind feelings 
constitutes one of the richest sources of earthly enjoyment. 



Our happiness depends but lillle upon llie exlernal circum- 
stances which surround us, and almost entirely uponlhe state 
of the affections. If there be peace in the soul, if there be 
good will to man, if there be a desire to render others happy, 
and if^ in addition, there be supreme love to God, that man is 
as happy as he can be on earth, and no force of external cir- 
cumstances can have power to reach or to destroy his happi- 
ness. But kind feelings, like sweet flowers, need cultivation. 
They do not, in most men, spring up spontaneously, neither 
are they the growth of an hour. The tempers and disposi- 
tions of some men seem to be naturally morose, selfish, exclu- 
sive and severe, whilst there is a perpetual sunshine beaming 
upon the hearts of others. Besides, the daily occurrences of 
life furnish the occasion, if not the excuse for harshness. 

Now, every man owes it to himself, as well as to his neigh- 
bor, to put the best construction upon the words and actions of 
others. To subdue bitterness of feeling and vindictiveness, so 
to have intercourse with his fellow-men, and so to regulate his 
thoughts and desires as that the law of kindness will reign in 
his heart and rest upon his tongue. The expression of this 
kindness is gentlemanly deportment. For true gentility, like 
true Christianity, has its seat in the heart. There is no mis- 
taking the true gentleman, though his manner be embarrassed 
and his gestures awkward. The proper expression of kindness 
should also be carefully studied, for an act of kindness bestow- 
ed in an ungracious manner, loses half its value. Indeed, 
kindness of manner in general, is too little studied among us. 
Its great importance as a sweetener of life's rugged way, is too 
little considered. How we admire and love a sweet disposi- 
tion, giving itself expression in words and actions which gush 
spontaneously from the heart. We exclaim at once, there is 

one of nature's noblemen. It is impossible to despise such a 
2 



10 

man. We could not succeed were we to make the efforts 
How differently are we affected towards those who exhibit lit- 
tle or no kindness of heart, or manner, who permit a selfish 
disposition to run to seed, and (o multiply itself again and 
again, who feel no interest in their fellow-men, and manifest 
no concern for their welfare, and who stand in society as the 
Upas, unapproached and unapproachable. If we do not de- 
spise, we desire to have no intercourse with them. Let me 
urge you, my young friends, to cultivate the spirit of kindness 
and a gracious manifestation of it. This will not only pro- 
tect you against the hostility of others, it will secure their 
friendship and affection. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall 
inherit the earth." 

That we may not dwell too long on this part of the subject, 
we briefly state that no one despises the young man who is 
pure in heart and life, who is chaste and temperate in all things, 
who is governed in his intercourse with men by principle and 
not interest, who is economical without being mean, and lib- 
eral without ostentation, who, in one word, is influenced, not 
by the consideration of how have others acted towards me, or 
what will the world think of me, but by that other sentiment, 
more exalted and noble, what is the course of conduct which 
is due to myself as a rational and immortal being? How shall 
I best accomplish' the end of life, and crown it with glory and 
honor? Such sentiments cannot fail to secure for their pos- 
sessor the blessedness of a good conscience, and the approba- 
tion of all good men. 

3. Let no one despise you in respect to the duties which you 
owe to others. These may be summed up under the compre- 
hensive law of reciprocity, as taught by reason, or the law of 
love, as taught by revelation. There are men in (he world, 
who pay no respect to this law, who regard their fellow men, 



11 

not as inheritors with them of the coinmon bounties of God's 
providence, but as proper subjects of gain, who make the end 
of life their own gratification, and desire every transaction to 
contribute to their own advantage, and are dissatisfied unless 
they make, in all things, the best bargain. For such persons 
we can entertain very little respect. Certainl}^, every hor^^st 
business transaction must be advantageous to both the parties 
concerned. Wealth, honestly obtained, is that which has been 
secured by the bestowment of blessings upon others. The pro- 
fession, or employment, which is sustained by the unrequited 
labors, or pains, or resources of others, must be sinful before 
God, and despicable in the sight of men. See to it then, that 
both your business and your manner of conducting it, be use- 
ful to your fellow-men, and that no one can justly charge you 
with the spirit of selfishness. Our theories of religion and 
morality are but sealed books, and of no service, except to ad- 
mire, if we practice not the blessed precepts which they in- 
culcate. But the relations which we sustain to our fellow-men, 
are not only those of business; they are multiplied and varied, 
and embrace all the sympathies and affections of our natures. 
The majority of young men, in setting out in life, may be re- 
garded as poor, unknown, and without influence. Anxious to 
maintain themselves honestly, and to reflect honor upon their 
parents, and to secure a good name, they are yet ignorant of a 
situation adapted to their wants. To them an opportunity of 
acting out the impulses of their nature, would be not only a 
source of happiness, it would be the greatest earthly blessing 
which could be conferred upon them. In no way with which 
I am acquainted, can men of intelligence, wealth and influ- 
ence, employ their power more advantageously for their fellow- 
men, than in this. They may be said, in this way, to form 
virtuous character, to increase honest gains, to multiply the 



12 

happiness of mankind. For external circumstances conlribule 
largely to the formation of character. If the proper life exist 
in the young man, if he be anxious to do that which is right, 
and win a good name amongst his fellow-men, such a situation 
will furnish the circumstances in which this life will be mani- 
fe4|ed and developed. With what gratitude do the young, 
thus directed, regard their benefactors in after life? How vast 
the benefits which one man may thus confer upon his country 
and the world. How nobly does he sfand before the world as 
a benefactor of his race. Not obstructing, by such a course, 
the operations of his own private affairs, but, with them, giv- 
ing direction to the industry and future capital of hundreds 
who are needy. If such a course be noble, then stretch out 
the helping hand to the honest and industrious everywhere, 
when you have secured influence and power amongst men. 
Feel that you are interested in everything which belongs to 
man. Enlarge, in this way, the sphere of your benevolence. 
As you feel now, when about to enter upon the journey of life, 
how good it is, oi it would be, for some kind friend to open to 
you a way of usefulness to yourselves and others, be assured 
that others will thus feel, when you have extended like be- 
nevolence to them. Oh! it is the highest form of humanity, 
thus to enter into the necessities of others, and to direct into 
the path of honest industry, those who else might have wan- 
dered from the path of rectitude. Thus have merchants and 
mechanics, and professional men, an opportunity of becoming 
largely benefactors to their race, though their deeds be not re- 
corded by the historian, or sung by the poet. 

Disease, in some form, has always attended the human fam- 
ily, and may be regarded, not only as a part of our earthly in- 
heritance, but as ordered by God as a corrective and restraint 
upon man. In any form, it is painful, and in many exceed- 



ingly distressing'. Tliiowu together in society, and dependent 
upon each other as we are, in ail the relations of life, this de- 
pendence becomes more striking in sickness. Racked with 
pain, prostrated in body and mind, oftlimes delirious and com- 
pletely helpless, no condition in life demands more imperative-^ 
ly our sympathy and assistance. These become more imper- 
ative, when the disease is widespread, and has become epidem-^ 
ic ; when the fear of death haS filled every heart, and the 
timid, and the selfish, and the wicked flee, regarding, in the 
common danger, only their own safety. Here duly is plairij 
but men flee from it. The physician, whose prescriptions and 
presence then are most needed to cheer and encourage; the 
divine, whose services are then demanded, as pastor, to com- 
fort the sufTering and distressed with the consolations of the 
gospel, to direct the anxious sinner to the lamb of God, to in* 
struct the ignorant, and to perform the last sad offices to the 
dead ; the nurse, to watch over the suflTering patient, whose 
work is often more important than that of the physician him^ 
self, all have left, and the sick die unattended, and the dead 
lie unburied. How strong and irresistible is the feeling of 
condemnation against such inhumanity! Can we suppress 
the feeling of contempt for such persons? True, it may be 
said there is danger, and self preservation is the first law of our 
nature. But danger everywhere besets our path, and that na- 
ture which teaches such a law, is depraved and fallen, and. 
must yield to that higher law, "thou shalt love thy neighbor 
as thyself," "and as ye would that men should do to you, do 
ye even so to them." Ah, there is a loveliness, a heavenly- 
mindedness in the self-denial of him who shrinks not from the 
office of a minister at the bed-side of the suffering, who fore- 
goes the sweets of repose, and exposes himself to disease and 
death, that he may press the cooling draught to the fevered 



14 

lips, and speak a word of encouragement and comfort to the 
exhausted sufferer. How is our fallen nature dignified when, 
under the influence of the spirit of chrislianity, it thus rises 
and is exalted above itself. We feel that there is a power 
which can transform the selfish and cowardly into the disinter- 
ested and brave. How do we honor the name of Howard, 
and Florence Nightingale, and others, who^have gone out of 
their appropriate spheres of labor, to minister to the suffering 
in other countries. And how do we turn away in disgust from 
those who flee from their own patients and parishioners, and 
their very relatives, prostrate upon beds of sickness, in the 
hope of protracting a life which, at longest, must soon end, 
and which, thus far, may have been unprofitable. My young 
friends, let no man despise you for want of interest in suffer- 
ing humanity. Let it not be said that when God's judgments 
were around you, you fled through fear, and abandoned those 
whom his providence had committed to your care. A self- 
denying and self-sacrificing spirit, for the welfare of others and 
the glory of God, is the highest form of human nature. Thus 
are we taught by the precepts of him who spake as man never 
spake, and these precepts are enforced by his own conduct on 
earth. For he went about doing good, rejecting the luxuries 
of earth and the praises of men, until the time appointed had 
arrived, when he offered himself a sacrifice for the sins of the 
world. 

In this country, which boasts of its freedom, and where 
every man feels that he is a king, for the people rule, no man 
ought to be, and few can be, entirely free from the influence of 
politics. The government of the country, from the nature of 
the case, interests every one. Not to feel this interest, is to be 
indifferent to our country. To feel and to act as you ought 
on this subject, is patriotic. No class of men are more heartily 



15 

despised than lime servers, whether in politics or religion, and 
none more richly deserve it. Professed patriots, and therefore 
disinterested, they covertly seek their own advantage, at the 
expense of the whole country. With oily tongues and treach;; 
erous hearts, they adapt themselves to the company and the 
occasion, so that they may the more successfully deceive. Os- 
tensibly disciples of temperance, they hold the bottle to their 
neighbor's mouth, and they themselves partake. Professing 
christians, they violate the Lord's day, and are profane, to sub- 
serve their political ends. With one hand uplifted, they swear 
to observe the constitution of the United Slates, whilst the 
other is open to receive bribes. Truth and falsehood are in- 
struments of equal value, when their own interests can behest 
subserved by them, and one or the other is employed, as the 
occasion requires. Let no man despise you in this respect, 
but discharge with all fidelity, the duty you owe to your 
country. 

Honesty is a cardinal virtue everywhere, but nowhere is it 
more needed than in the places of political power. The del- 
eterious influence of corruption here, as to its extent and pow- 
er, no one can compute. From the elevation to which men 
are here exalted, there is a constant pressure upon the masses 
below, which they do not find power to resist. The whole 
body politic is endangenid. It is as though the human head 
were diseased, which gives life and direction to the body. The 
members may be sound, but they labor under the influence of 
a diseased head. They may be in a condition to accomplish 
much, but their ruler and guide, decrepid and disordered, ever 
leads thetn astray. The evil effects of such a state of things, 
is not confined to the administration of the affairs of state, 
which in itself is sufficiently alarming. It affects society in 
all its forms, because the power of the government, either di- 



16 

reclly or indirectly, transfuses itself into every part of the com- 
munity. If the political press be corrupt, and strive but for 
party, if the halls of our national and state legislatures be pol- 
luted with bribes, and the contests of parly be but for power, 
then is it high time to turn to the educated youth of the land, 
and lift a warning voice, for to them will this power soon be 
entrusted. This country, so highly distinguished in climate, 
soil, variety of productions and e.^tent of territory, governed 
in the fear of God, and for the good of all the people, cannot 
fail to become, not only the greatest on earth, but a blessing to 
all others. Seek then, with whatever influence you may pos- 
sess, to make it a praise in all the earth. To this end, be not 
partisans, but patriots, lovers, not of a party, but of the coun- 
tr}'', and anxious by concession and compromise to unite more 
closely, and to benefit the whole. To the strivings and con- 
tests of parly ad4 not fuel, nor fan the flame, but pour upon 
them the oil of peaceful and wholesome counsels, and as fat- 
as in you lies, cause brethren of the same national household 
to dwell together in unity. Act from principle, and let that 
principle be the highest welfare of the whole country. He 
only is worthy of the protection of his country, and is an hon- 
or to it, who labors for her good. DilTuse abroad, as far asyoa 
can, intelligence and virtue. Let the cause of education be 
dear to you. Foster schools and colleges, and be willing to 
exercise self-denial in their behalf, that these fountains of use- 
fulness may be purified, and the streams which issue from 
them may be enlarged and multiplied. 

4. Discharge the duties which you owe to God in such a 
manner that no man can despise you. We are naturally and 
by education religious beings, though in the proper sense of 
the term, we may not all be christians. Our relations to God, 
and the duties which grow out of them, do not depend upon 



17 

the profession which we may have made, or ihe obligations 
which we may have assumed. Nature and reason, as well as 
revelation, not only teach us the existence and perfections of 
God, they demand for him the homage of the heart, and the 
service of the body. These obligations become more tender 
and, if possible, more imperative, when this great being is re- 
vealed to us in human form, and, as the son of God, becoming 
a sacrifice for our sins, and a mediator between God and man. 
Besides the natural attributes of his character, which fill the 
contemplative soul with awe and veneration, his moral attri- 
butes challenge, in the highest degree, the affections of the 
heart. Love, such as tiie world had never before witnessed, 
exercised towards enemies, for the purpose of making them 
friends. Patience and forbearonce towards the wayward and 
erring. Benevolence in supplying returning wants, and mer- 
cy exercised, not only in forgiving penitent transgressors, and 
receiving ihetri into favor, but in continuing and increasing 
those favors forever. Now, (o admire true greatness in man, 
however manifested, is noble. So is gratitude to a benefactor, 
and affection to the affectionate, much mora is all this due to 
him from whom all excellency flows, and who is tlie exhaust- 
less fountain of goodness. On the other hand, there is in man 
an instinctive contempt for the ungrateful, for the child ten- 
derly reared and fondly cherished, which turns against its pa- 
rents, and for the citizen who. In the hour of danger, moved 
by revenge, or filthy lucre, betrays the country which nursed 
and protected him. F^'rom such men we turn away with loath- 
ing, and their very names become execrable. What then shall 
we say of those who dishonor God and reject Christ, who not 
only resist his will, but ridicule his service and his word. Who, 
for his mercy, repay hatred, for his benevolence, transgression, 
for his gracious invitations^ contemptj and for the gift of his 



18 

son, as the Jews of old, crucifixion. Here imbecilit}' arrays 
itself against power, follir against wisdom, ignorance against 
knowledge, and man, ihle creature, against God, the creator. 
For such, the time is coming when there will be exercised to- 
wards them, by all good beings, the contempt which their 
wickedness deserves, and they themselves, befoie an assem- 
bled universe, will be filled witli shame and everlasting con- 
tempt. I trust that not one of you will be amongst this 
number. 

But you profess to be christians, and to receive the word of 
God as the infallible oracles of truth. God is your God, Christ 
16 your Savior, and the Spirit is your comforter and sanctifier. 
Be careful then to honor this great being, in whatever sphere 
of action his providence may call you. Acknowledge him in 
all your ways, and he will direct your steps. There is much 
comfort in knowing that God is your friend, in living on inti- 
mate terms with him, or, as it is said, "living near to him," in 
feeling that he is always with you, that he is cognizant of all 
your acts, and that you are conscious of an all-pervading de- 
sire and effort to please him. A profound philosopher and 
humble christian has recorded, as his conviction, "that, if one 
(rain of thinking be more desirable than another, it is that 
which regards the phenomena of nature with a constant refer- 
ence to a supreme intelligent author. To have made this the 
ruling, the habitual sentiment of our minds, is to have laid 
the foundation of everything which is religious. The world 
thenceforth becomes a temple, and life itself one continued act 
of devotion." We would have you go one step farther, and 
regard all that befalls you as directed and controlled by him, 
so that prosperity and adversity, sickness and health, life and 
death, are not only at his disposal, but he directs them for his 
own glory and the good of his friends. Let your Christianity 



nppear in your life ; in a contented and cheeiful disposition, 
and in an ingenuous and guileless character. Be not afraid to 
avow yourselves as the followers of Christ, on any proper oc- 
casion, and in any company, however wicked. There is a, 
fearful penalty denounced against those who deny the Savior 
before men. How base too, and ignoble is it, to be ashamed 
to avow that which is our glory, and to acknowledge him who 
is our only hope. There are those who, like Esau, will sell 
their birthright for a mess of pottage, and there are others who 
are afraid of the face of man, and who, under the shadow of 
some great name, perhaps wickedly great, will imiiale that 
greatness in cursing God. Walk not in the counsel of such 
wicked men. Some of you are looking forward to the sci- 
ence of medicine as a field of investigation and labor. Thea 
imitate the great physician who, whilst he healed the body, 
poured instruction and consolation into the soul. Remember 
whilst the pulsations of life are beating fewer and more feebly, 
under your inspection, the unutterable value of an immortal 
soul. Others, in the courts of justice, will seek to expound 
the law and the principles of equity, in their relation to partic- 
ular cases. Beware lest, in your efforts to justify your own 
client, you condemn the innocent, and the pursuit of justice 
become the greatest injustice. See to it that you exalt not 
wickedness, and trample virtue underfoot; and, whilst you 
maintain that the law cannot be broken with impunity, re- 
member that the lavi? of God is inexorable, and there is a judge 
who is higher than the highest. Some of you will put forth 
efforts to educate the youthful mind, to teach it how to origi- 
nate and arrange ideas, and how to clothe them inappropriate 
language, and give them intelligible expression in words. Let 
all their thoughts be directed ultimately to him who is the au- 
thor of thought, all their minds to the great mind; and whilst 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 



029 927 046 4 



they are disciplined in ijlie lessons of eailhly wisdom, lead 
(hem to sit at (he feet of he great teacher, to learn the lessons 
of eternal wisdom. Oihers are looking forward to the pulpit 
as the field of life's laborJthe noblest and the best, because its 
results are most beneficial, and its labors are least requited. 
Let not this blessed wort be degraded by ignorance, or indo- 
lence, or time-serving, oj- hypocrisy. There is in the human 
mind a natural inclination to transfer the contempt which is 
felt for a person, to the occupation in which he is engaged and 
the subject on which h^ is employed. Thus Christ and his 
gospel have often sufTerell at the hands of his friends. Let no 
man despise you, and through you, the ministry and the gos- 
pel, but labor to reflect Honor upon both. Go then, my young 
friends, into the several walks of life prepared for you. Q,uit 
you like men. Be upright, courageous, humble and persever- 
ing, and success must a tend your labors. You are not alone 
in the world. Oihers rre around you engaged in the same 
conflict. From them yjou may learn wisdom, and receive en- 
couragement. God is 'jviih you, and will bless you, his word 
will direct, his spirit wil comfort, and the Savior will be nigh 
with sympathising heart, to relieve the necessities of them (hat 
love him. 



